In 2013, the team at Excalibur Plastics was already active in Mexico when Yamila Colasanti met Francisco Cabrera during her travel to Mexico. With Francisco's guidance and commitment to helping Excalibur start their new business venture, Excalibur Plastics Mex was born. In that year, they decided to commit fully, and with Israel Villegas and Francisco Cabrera, the future looked bright. All were hoping they would become a steady partner in the Mexican greenhouse industry. "You can't operate a Mexican company in the Canadian way," says David Boutros, looking back on their 10-year anniversary. And Israel? He just shows his arm with the Excalibur sword tattooed on it. "You can have the t-shirt, but I have it in my skin."
The team 10 years ago
"Richard (Colasanti, president at Excalibur Plastics) saw the importance of the Mexican greenhouse industry. We lived in Leamington, in a growing greenhouse market, and still saw many vegetables being bought there. He believed it to be a growing market and fought tooth and nail to ensure our business was there," says David when reminiscing about the start of Excalibur's official venture in Mexico. As Richard and David were in Mexico regularly, attempting to set up triangle deals to conduct business there, they decided ten years ago to formalize their activities and start a Mexican enterprise. Israel, recommended by the grower he worked with back then for his entrepreneurial spirit, turned out to be the man for the job.
Throughout the years, David, Richard, Carly, and Israel have been through a learning curve, so to speak. Sharing hotel rooms back in the day to avoid overspending on company accounts, the three of them duked it out every now and then, David laughs, explaining that when Excalibur Mexico started, the Canadian company was already well-known for supplying substrate, greenhouse plastics, and utilities such as ground cover and storage tanks to growers all over the country. "So we believed growers would understand what company we were."
"At the same time," Israel adds, "the biggest companies already had their relationships with suppliers, and it proved to be difficult to engage with them. It might take 7, 8, or 10 hours easily to visit a company, and you're asked to come back not one time, not two times, but three or four times, being asked continuously about our product offerings. We've spent hours in the car, driving to the growers, talking to each one of them, and we grew slowly by staying true to our values. And by now, even the bigger companies look at what we're doing and are open to a talk. It's easier now; they understand who we are and what we offer the market, but the best marketing remains our customers' marketing: we do what we promise, and that shows."
The company has grown to 12 people and is a remarkably stable team. Israel says they will continue to expand with the growth in the use of coconut substrates as a major driver. "We are always involved in new projects, such as clips and plastic, but what we see now is that the use of coco in México continues to grow considerably," he says. "The fight against viruses, pests, and even trade factors prompted many vegetable producers to explore other crops and diversify, and Mexico also has different regions with good climates for growing berries that allow them to satisfy the demand of a growing market in full swing. "We are constantly moving throughout the country, tracking sales, and at this point, we are among the top two high-tech Coir distributors in terms of market share."
"In 2015, we shipped the first 3 containers," he recalls. "By 2016, there were 30. By then, we hoped to cross the line of 300 containers one day, as we evaluated the total market and saw what other companies were selling." Business benefits by now are reciprocal, says David, referring to Mauricio Manotas joining the Canadian company to expand the substrate business in Canada and the USA.
Although challenging, these developments also bring business to the team at Excalibur. "Especially with the crops continuing to be lit up in Canada, pressure on Mexican production is on. Increasing their efficiency will lower their cost per kilo. To achieve this, they cannot work with the cheapest product on the market. Consistent quality and service make the difference here."
With the 10-year milestone in sight, they can look back happily on the hurdles taken and confidently to the future. "We've learned it's important to let the Mexican people run the company and for us not to try to run it the Canadian way," David concludes. "It's important to stick to the script and go back to basics when necessary: hitting the road, being face to face with growers, and maintaining contact with the industry is part of the success. Israel and his colleagues take nothing for granted: they work hard, work honestly, and the results show what they're doing." Israel adds he now knows he has to work in a way that works both for Mexico, acknowledging the Mexican way of working and system, while also partnering effectively with Canada. "We really grew to each other, and I can honestly say I feel love for my company."
Excalibur will celebrate its 10-year anniversary at Greentech Americas in booth #340. The company, together with EIffel Plastics, Priva, Ecoation and Growa will also host a cocktail party on March 13 @ 7pm. Drop by any of their booths for venue details and to pick up your wristband!
For more information:
Excalibur Plastics
www.excaliburplastics.com